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Mortal Gods #3
The Monstrous Child
A stunning, operatic, epic drama, like no other. Meet Hel, an ordinary teenager - and goddess of the Underworld. Why is life so unfair? Hel tries to make the best of it, creating gleaming halls in her dark kingdom and welcoming the dead who she is forced to host for eternity. Until eternity itself is threatened.
Francesca's first and wonderful foray into teen.
Francesca's first and wonderful foray into teen.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2016
34 people are currently reading
2042 people want to read
About the author
Francesca Simon
386 books205 followersFrancesca Simon grew up in California and attended both Yale and Oxford Universities, where she specialised in Medieval Studies. How this prepared her to write children’s books she cannot imagine, but it did give her a thorough grounding in alliteration.
She then threw away a lucrative career as a medievalist and worked as a freelance journalist, writing for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail on Sunday, Telegraph, and Vogue (US). After her son Joshua was born in 1989, she started writing children’s books full time. One of the UK’s best-selling children’s writers, Francesca has published over 50 books, including the immensely popular HORRID HENRY series, which has now sold over twelve million copies.
Francesca won the Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. HORRID HENRY is published in 24 countries and is also an animated CITV series. She lives in London with her husband, son, and Tibetan Spaniel, Shanti.
She then threw away a lucrative career as a medievalist and worked as a freelance journalist, writing for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail on Sunday, Telegraph, and Vogue (US). After her son Joshua was born in 1989, she started writing children’s books full time. One of the UK’s best-selling children’s writers, Francesca has published over 50 books, including the immensely popular HORRID HENRY series, which has now sold over twelve million copies.
Francesca won the Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. HORRID HENRY is published in 24 countries and is also an animated CITV series. She lives in London with her husband, son, and Tibetan Spaniel, Shanti.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
March 8, 2019
Here is a story of a teenage girl: there are a great deal of family dramas, sibling-hating, teenager's angst, mommy issues and daddy issues, a lot of attention being placed on self-image and looks, one-sided love toward a Prince Charming guy , teenager's sulking and brooding alone in dark places...you get the picture, right? But this time, the teenage girl in question is Hel, Queen of the Dead from the Norse myths.
Let's prepare yourself for the unhappy life story of Hel, and all the misadventures of the tricky, arrogant gods and...last but not least, those poor, poor giants who had been tricked, cheated, robbed and murdered for so many times by those asshole-ish gods.
Here, allow me to add hashtags: #giantlivesmatter #GiantLivesMatter
Let's just state the obvious here: Hel's first-person narration makes her sound like a hapless teenager instead of an ageless Queen of the Dead. But if you can overcome the all too air-headed tone, The Monstrous Child can be a fun and humorous read of Norse myths being told from Hel's POV, personally I enjoy this novel quite well. Hehehe.
PS: I quite enjoy how Hel interacts with Modgud the giantess a.k.a Hel's only friend and Freya (not to be confused with goddess Freyja) the girl who travels to Hel (the realm of the dead) to recuse goddess Idunn.
PSS: in this story, there are quite a few numbers of notable, sassy guest-appearance of Loki himself. XD
Let's prepare yourself for the unhappy life story of Hel, and all the misadventures of the tricky, arrogant gods and...last but not least, those poor, poor giants who had been tricked, cheated, robbed and murdered for so many times by those asshole-ish gods.
Here, allow me to add hashtags: #giantlivesmatter #GiantLivesMatter
Let's just state the obvious here: Hel's first-person narration makes her sound like a hapless teenager instead of an ageless Queen of the Dead. But if you can overcome the all too air-headed tone, The Monstrous Child can be a fun and humorous read of Norse myths being told from Hel's POV, personally I enjoy this novel quite well. Hehehe.
PS: I quite enjoy how Hel interacts with Modgud the giantess a.k.a Hel's only friend and Freya (not to be confused with goddess Freyja) the girl who travels to Hel (the realm of the dead) to recuse goddess Idunn.
PSS: in this story, there are quite a few numbers of notable, sassy guest-appearance of Loki himself. XD
January 4, 2019
Bit of a disappointment tbh...
Became interested in this due to the Norse Mythology aspect and I sort of expected a short but interesting story. I didn’t really enjoy this too much. I liked the narration on this one - I think they did a pretty good job...it was mainly a lack of story that made me rate this so low. I liked Hel’s character but I just felt she became way too obsessed over Baldr...I understand that his death leads to Ragnarok in the mythology so it made sense she would want to keep him in her realm away from the living but did the love interest aspect really need to be over played?
I’m by sure...I just didn’t enjoy this much as I would have liked to. Especially after knowing Hella from Thor Ragnarok was based on Hel - she was pretty badass, and a sure power to be reckoned with but in this story - not so much.
May 22, 2017
One of the most original books I have read in a long time. Read in one sitting.
The Monstrous Child is set in the world of Norse mythology, and centres around Loki's daughter, Hel, and her journey to becoming and her experiences as Queen of the Underworld. From the very first line, Simon draws us into an incredible world where journeys can spread across lifetimes, animals can be thrown out of the sky, and an immortal god can be born with rotten legs.
I was admittedly concerned about the colloquial language used in the novel by the narrator and even the other gods, but it worked really well and actually displayed a tragic dark humour. The voice of Hel, despite living a timeless and relatively cruel existence maintaining the Underworld, never gets exhausting.
A very strong element of the novel was the way in which Simon wove in beautiful descriptions and her excellent world-building. The writing style is excellent, although I can understand why some may find this does not make up for a lack of plot in the centre third of the novel.
A lot of reviews here highlight the inappropriate nature of Hel to admire and fall in love with a married man. However, I think for the story it works really well: he is the only person in her entire life ever to her smile at her and ignore her affliction (her rotting legs). He is the only hope she ever has, and quite literally the only light she has ever known.
It's only now that I realise The Monstrous Child is part of a series, and therefore I look forward to reading the other books (and hopefully enjoying them just as much!). Ultimately, I can see why this book might not be for everyone as it is quite unlike similar books, but the writing voice was truly one of the best and I would feel unjustified to give this book anything less than five stars.
(The target demographic is also a little ambiguous, I would definitely imagine this as the lower end of YA although the large font size is a little obscure.)
The Monstrous Child is set in the world of Norse mythology, and centres around Loki's daughter, Hel, and her journey to becoming and her experiences as Queen of the Underworld. From the very first line, Simon draws us into an incredible world where journeys can spread across lifetimes, animals can be thrown out of the sky, and an immortal god can be born with rotten legs.
I was admittedly concerned about the colloquial language used in the novel by the narrator and even the other gods, but it worked really well and actually displayed a tragic dark humour. The voice of Hel, despite living a timeless and relatively cruel existence maintaining the Underworld, never gets exhausting.
A very strong element of the novel was the way in which Simon wove in beautiful descriptions and her excellent world-building. The writing style is excellent, although I can understand why some may find this does not make up for a lack of plot in the centre third of the novel.
A lot of reviews here highlight the inappropriate nature of Hel to admire and fall in love with a married man. However, I think for the story it works really well: he is the only person in her entire life ever to her smile at her and ignore her affliction (her rotting legs). He is the only hope she ever has, and quite literally the only light she has ever known.
It's only now that I realise The Monstrous Child is part of a series, and therefore I look forward to reading the other books (and hopefully enjoying them just as much!). Ultimately, I can see why this book might not be for everyone as it is quite unlike similar books, but the writing voice was truly one of the best and I would feel unjustified to give this book anything less than five stars.
(The target demographic is also a little ambiguous, I would definitely imagine this as the lower end of YA although the large font size is a little obscure.)
April 3, 2017
The only thing I liked was the whiny voice of the protagonist. She was unique and sassy to begin with but there just wasn't enough plot. Plus, this girl gets obsessed with a guy who smiles at her once, so I wasn't convinced by her motivations.
July 29, 2017
I've got to admit- I had no idea that this was a sequel (it didn't feel like it was anyways), and I bought this on a whim because I thought the cover was gorgeous.
I think the younger me would've enjoyed this much more, though I did enjoy it as it is. I think it is a fun story to pass time. It got only three stars because I, personally do not think it's one of those stories that stay with you after you finish it. I liked the writing style, but I just was detached. I rooted for Hel, trust me. But it just seems to me as if it could've been more. I felt like I was missing out on something all the time. It was fun, just not spectacular.
This was enjoyable enough, I would recommend it to younger audience, or maybe someone who just needs something light to read :)
Review posted on blog
https://oceansoulbookworm.wordpress.c...
I think the younger me would've enjoyed this much more, though I did enjoy it as it is. I think it is a fun story to pass time. It got only three stars because I, personally do not think it's one of those stories that stay with you after you finish it. I liked the writing style, but I just was detached. I rooted for Hel, trust me. But it just seems to me as if it could've been more. I felt like I was missing out on something all the time. It was fun, just not spectacular.
This was enjoyable enough, I would recommend it to younger audience, or maybe someone who just needs something light to read :)
Review posted on blog
https://oceansoulbookworm.wordpress.c...
February 5, 2017
I was waiting for cool, sassy Queen of Death. But I didn't get it. This books was just boring as hell (pun intended)
June 1, 2016
Interesting, but ultimately a frustrating read. At times I felt like the pace stagnated and it was something of a slog, but when it picked up it was fairly enjoyable. Hel's voice is very modern, and I'm not sure it entirely worked for me, but it's possible it would work for a younger reader.
What I find most frustrating about this book is the climax.
All in all, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I think the ending undoes everything I really liked about it, unfortunately, although it is an interesting and approachable retelling of Norse myths. I was really optimistic that a retelling from a relatively marginalised female character's perspective was going to treat her better in the end that the narrative actually did.
What I find most frustrating about this book is the climax.
All in all, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I think the ending undoes everything I really liked about it, unfortunately, although it is an interesting and approachable retelling of Norse myths. I was really optimistic that a retelling from a relatively marginalised female character's perspective was going to treat her better in the end that the narrative actually did.
May 8, 2017
While, this book wasn't bad, it also wasn't great either.
What i liked about the book: The only thing i seemed to enjoy about the book was the Norse Mythology element of the story. Where the story revolved around Hel, the Goddesses of the Underworld. Who was forced to rule over the dead for eternity.
What i didn't like about this book: The book was too focused on the Norse Mythology element rather than having a good plot. Parts of the book seemed rushed to an extent, especially the ending, it seemed over before it even began. This is a let down, as the beginning of the book, started off being really good and interesting, but the further in the book went, the more it started to get worse.
What i liked about the book: The only thing i seemed to enjoy about the book was the Norse Mythology element of the story. Where the story revolved around Hel, the Goddesses of the Underworld. Who was forced to rule over the dead for eternity.
What i didn't like about this book: The book was too focused on the Norse Mythology element rather than having a good plot. Parts of the book seemed rushed to an extent, especially the ending, it seemed over before it even began. This is a let down, as the beginning of the book, started off being really good and interesting, but the further in the book went, the more it started to get worse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2016
Full review to come x
April 5, 2018
Loki’s daughter is thrown into ‘hel’ whereupon she sulks. I think I maybe over Vikings.
January 8, 2019
I liked this a lot. Hel is dark and funny and teenager. A bit too happy ending but okay.
August 12, 2017
Francesca Simon has always been a firm favorite of mine, her Horrid Henry series is beloved by children and adults alike.
The Monstrous Child tells the story of Hel, queen of the underworld and the daughter of Loki - the evil trickster in Norse mythology. All of Loki's children are cursed, Fenrir was the eldest of three children between Loki and the giantess Angrboda. Fenrir took the form of a wolf while his younger brother Jormungand took the form of a serpent and his younger sister Hel was half alive and half dead. The gods feared them all and captured them in middle of the night from Angrboda's hall. The gods then brought the three monsters back to Asgard where they threw Jormungand into the ocean and Hel into Niflheim where she rules until Ragnarok. They kept Fenrir in Asgard so that they might keep an eye on him. Hel is such a belligerent girl and who can blame her no one has ever shown her any kindness, so she craves revenge and who can blame her. The monstrous Child is fulled with interesting stories and is definitely worth reading.
April 27, 2017
I listened to the audioboook of this, read by Eleanor Tomlinson and I thought she was perfect for it!!! The book itself wasn't all that great I thought, nothing much happened at all. So I'm glad I listened to it instead of reading it, if I had read it, I probably wouldn't have finished it actually. But I enjoyed how Eleanor even did different voices for each of the characters, it reminded me of my childhood!!!
July 19, 2019
This is the second book I've read based on Norse Mythology, and the second I have really not enjoyed. I absolutely love mythology, so I was really hoping this one would be different. I don't know if it was the writing style, first person, or Hel's annoying, stubborn, petulance, that bothered me, but I really did not enjoy it at all.
More than anything, there was just a lack of story to tell. It was mostly a bunch of whining, combined with a series of facts, that just weren't particularly interesting. I found it a more and more boring, and really struggled to get through it. This'll teach me not to pick up the prettiest book at the library and expect the content to live up to the cover.
More than anything, there was just a lack of story to tell. It was mostly a bunch of whining, combined with a series of facts, that just weren't particularly interesting. I found it a more and more boring, and really struggled to get through it. This'll teach me not to pick up the prettiest book at the library and expect the content to live up to the cover.
April 8, 2025
-SPOILERS-
I genuinely thought I did this??
GENUINELY SUCH A GOOD BOOK
Loved the writing style and educated me on Norse mythology without me even noticing
HEL YOURE AN ICON
I thought it was really realistic and felt like Hel was telling me this herself
Die Loki istg
HER MUM BEING IN NIFLHEIM ??
The names of the cutlery were so funny
Modgud is my favourite I love her so so much my diva
Why did bro think Baldr was going to love her like girlie he hugged you ONCE as a MARRIED MAN bless I get she has crushes but why was bro so delusional she's such a teenage girl
Overall really fun book especially if you're interested in Norse mythology !!
I genuinely thought I did this??
GENUINELY SUCH A GOOD BOOK
Loved the writing style and educated me on Norse mythology without me even noticing
HEL YOURE AN ICON
I thought it was really realistic and felt like Hel was telling me this herself
Die Loki istg
HER MUM BEING IN NIFLHEIM ??
The names of the cutlery were so funny
Modgud is my favourite I love her so so much my diva
Why did bro think Baldr was going to love her like girlie he hugged you ONCE as a MARRIED MAN bless I get she has crushes but why was bro so delusional she's such a teenage girl
Overall really fun book especially if you're interested in Norse mythology !!
August 25, 2017
This book was a very quick and enjoyable read. I liked the writing style and the mythology aspect. I had a few problems with the main character Hel though. I found her to be whiny and bitter and hateful. I also had my problems with the love interest. Hel wants to 'steal' a married man because she's in love with him. No, not okay. That is very disrespectful, especially to his wife. Despite those problems, I did really enjoy reading this.
April 18, 2022
Ummm I really don't know. It's alright...I guess. Nothing special, didn't grip me. Meh.
August 5, 2022
Ehhhh… I didn’t really like this one. The writing wasn’t amazing and the story kinda dragged at a slow pace. Maybe it’s because I didn’t read the first couple of books in the trilogy though? I’m not sure if that is reason enough for me not enjoying it though.
July 18, 2021
don’t bother nothing happens the entire book
June 16, 2016
A stunning, operatic, epic drama, like no other. Meet Hel, an ordinary teenager - and goddess of the Underworld. Why is life so unfair? Hel tries to make the best of it, creating gleaming halls in her dark kingdom and welcoming the dead who she is forced to host for eternity. Until eternity itself is threatened.
Francesca Simon is best known for her Horrid Henry series of books. I never read them, but I know they are hugely popular with children in every library in Ireland, and the UK, and probably elsewhere. Recently she has branched away from Henry, and this book, The Monstrous Child is her first aimed at children 12+.
But the main reason I first noticed it was the cover. It's so eye-catching. I love it. And then once I picked it up I figured, sure I really should read at least one book by Simon. How can I call myself a librarian if I don't?
The "monstrous" child of the title is Loki's daughter Hel. Her older brothers are a snake and a wolf, so maybe she should count herself lucky that she at least appears like a person. Albeit one that is both dead and alive. Her legs are rotten and dead. But she is still a god, although one none of the other gods want around.
Of course, none of the gods really come across in any sort of a positive light here. Loki is his usual trickster self, but with no charm to waste on his monster children. He doesn't care about any of them, apart from when they may be able to help him. And Odin doesn't exactly endear himself to Hel, our narrator, when he banishes her to underworld. She may be the Queen of the dead, but she is also its prisoner.
It is an interesting book, but too little happens in it, and I'm afraid Hel is a tad on the boring side. All she does is whine and moan. She has reason enough, definitely, but at the same time it'd be nice to see her drive some aspects of the plot rather than constantly having to react to things. Or just put up with them.
I do sort of want to pick up her other Norse books, I'm not sure if this is part of that series, it certainly wasn't advertised as such on my copy, but although I didn't love this book it did enough to keep me entertained and intrigued enough to want to read more by Simon.
September 28, 2017
I'll start by saying that the cover is beautiful!
I personally didn't enjoy this book so much, mostly because I did not like Hel as a character. i found her selfish and she got on my nerves a bit but, later on, she under went a small character arc and became a slightly more likeable character. The book was peppered with funny moments and other, more likeable characters *cough* Modgud *cough*.
Warning: My fellow Marvel fans, do not, repeat do not picture the character Loki in this book as Tom Hiddleston because there is a horse bit about him that will mess you up, as it did me.
Overall, the book was enjoyable with snippets of humour and some nice characters, others having small character arcs.
Therefore I rated it at 3 stars because I liked it but it wasn't my favourite.
I personally didn't enjoy this book so much, mostly because I did not like Hel as a character. i found her selfish and she got on my nerves a bit but, later on, she under went a small character arc and became a slightly more likeable character. The book was peppered with funny moments and other, more likeable characters *cough* Modgud *cough*.
Warning: My fellow Marvel fans, do not, repeat do not picture the character Loki in this book as Tom Hiddleston because there is a horse bit about him that will mess you up, as it did me.
Overall, the book was enjoyable with snippets of humour and some nice characters, others having small character arcs.
Therefore I rated it at 3 stars because I liked it but it wasn't my favourite.
September 26, 2017
"Oh, enough local colour. I'm boring myself. Frankly, if you've seen one sulphurous pit, hideous precipice and poisonous, hissing, foaming river you've seen them all."
Francesca Simon is best known for her Horrid Henry stories, beloved by children who delight in naughty narrators and anti-sweetness. This foray into the younger side of YA (12-14) has a contemporary smart-ass tone, despite the setting and characters which are taken from Norse mythology. The protagonist is young Hel - a fourteen year old-ish girl who is the offspring of the god Loki and the giantess/seer Angrboda (distress-bringer). Born with the head and torso of a girl, but the legs of a corpse, Hel is not exactly beloved by the gods - or even her parents. Eventually she is exiled to the underworld: Hell, get it? Destined or doomed to rule, depending on your point-of-view. Hel would definitely say doomed, although she takes whatever perks she can get.
The dominant feature of the book is Hel's voice, which can be amusing in a very dark way. I have known some 12 year olds who would probably enjoy this style of humour. Unfortunately, there is just not enough plot to the book, and the voice, which dwells rather repetitively on Hel's various miseries, gets rather tiresome, too. The obvious comparison to this book would be Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, which brought the Greek legends to life within a contemporary setting. This book has the various mythic references, but there is not much of anything - including, sadly, Hel - to make the reader invest in the story. It's a fast read, though, with short chapters and an overlarge font. I wouldn't recommend it to many readers myself, but it's been a big hit with the various awards committees this year - and appears on the UK YA 2017 shortlist, the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal list and the Costa Book Awards shortlist.
Francesca Simon is best known for her Horrid Henry stories, beloved by children who delight in naughty narrators and anti-sweetness. This foray into the younger side of YA (12-14) has a contemporary smart-ass tone, despite the setting and characters which are taken from Norse mythology. The protagonist is young Hel - a fourteen year old-ish girl who is the offspring of the god Loki and the giantess/seer Angrboda (distress-bringer). Born with the head and torso of a girl, but the legs of a corpse, Hel is not exactly beloved by the gods - or even her parents. Eventually she is exiled to the underworld: Hell, get it? Destined or doomed to rule, depending on your point-of-view. Hel would definitely say doomed, although she takes whatever perks she can get.
The dominant feature of the book is Hel's voice, which can be amusing in a very dark way. I have known some 12 year olds who would probably enjoy this style of humour. Unfortunately, there is just not enough plot to the book, and the voice, which dwells rather repetitively on Hel's various miseries, gets rather tiresome, too. The obvious comparison to this book would be Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, which brought the Greek legends to life within a contemporary setting. This book has the various mythic references, but there is not much of anything - including, sadly, Hel - to make the reader invest in the story. It's a fast read, though, with short chapters and an overlarge font. I wouldn't recommend it to many readers myself, but it's been a big hit with the various awards committees this year - and appears on the UK YA 2017 shortlist, the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal list and the Costa Book Awards shortlist.
September 15, 2017
First, I was sure to enjoy this book, following famous Norse mythological gods around Asgard, Jotunheim and other places but I ended to be really disappointed by the characters, the story and even the writing style.
It could have been a nice Norse tale if written as a short story, instead we have a stodgy 300 pages book full of emptiness. Even the layout makes me think the writer's main goal was to fill the most pages possibles with short phrases, long blank pages and enormous first letter. Even the cover was disappointing because of the ugly Costa sticker-not-sticker (but it's not up to the writer). That's for the book itself as an item.
Now regarding the story, we are spending pages and pages on futile details and the main story is totally rushed at the end, perhaps Francesca Simon wanted to write a metaphor of Hel's endless life but it was just boring to read and, as Hel's, I was wondering what was the point of everything happening (in this book). A whole bench of amazing mythological characters are here but it's like they are not, except the main character, no one is elaborated.
Hel is an anti-hero and we cannot deny Francesca Simon tried to transform her to someone original but in the end, if we look very closely she is just the cliché of the rebel teenager never happy, inventing her whole meaningless love story and thinking she knows everything better than other : basic 14 years old rebel girl. We are following her during a eternity but at the end, there is nothing. I didn't even care about her fate.
It could have been a nice Norse tale if written as a short story, instead we have a stodgy 300 pages book full of emptiness. Even the layout makes me think the writer's main goal was to fill the most pages possibles with short phrases, long blank pages and enormous first letter. Even the cover was disappointing because of the ugly Costa sticker-not-sticker (but it's not up to the writer). That's for the book itself as an item.
Now regarding the story, we are spending pages and pages on futile details and the main story is totally rushed at the end, perhaps Francesca Simon wanted to write a metaphor of Hel's endless life but it was just boring to read and, as Hel's, I was wondering what was the point of everything happening (in this book). A whole bench of amazing mythological characters are here but it's like they are not, except the main character, no one is elaborated.
Hel is an anti-hero and we cannot deny Francesca Simon tried to transform her to someone original but in the end, if we look very closely she is just the cliché of the rebel teenager never happy, inventing her whole meaningless love story and thinking she knows everything better than other : basic 14 years old rebel girl. We are following her during a eternity but at the end, there is nothing. I didn't even care about her fate.
May 2, 2018
While not exactly deep in plot or action The Monstrous Child was fun to read and was full of morals that I think children will pick up on.
Hel is the Daughter of a Giantess and the God Loki. Unfortunately, Loki's spawn seem to come out misshapen, wrong and fated to do terrible things. Except, while Hel is described as having corpse legs the Fates have no future reading for her. She is not destined to harm anyone....and yet she remains hated for her deformity. She is called ugly, she is unwanted, barely tolerated by the High God Odin who banishes her to the Underworld to rule all that is Dead.
Within the story, there are morals throughout: For example, you can not force another to love you, that you should not see yourself how others see you or treat you. Hel thought herself ugly due to her treatment in Asgard and by her parents until a human offered her a mirror to see herself truthfully. She lost time thinking dark thoughts, losing herself in hate and vengeance until she realised how useless that time had been. She could have made the best of endless immortality but chose to hide away. The story shows an element of karma for those who treat you terrible, the world will offer up justice in its own way.
So while The Monstrous Child might not be overly captivating for adults, I think children should read this to relate to Hel on many levels other than the Norse Myths and Gods and Goddesses. I enjoyed it, though I had hoped for a more fleshed out ending, I understood the reason for its abruptness.
Hel is the Daughter of a Giantess and the God Loki. Unfortunately, Loki's spawn seem to come out misshapen, wrong and fated to do terrible things. Except, while Hel is described as having corpse legs the Fates have no future reading for her. She is not destined to harm anyone....and yet she remains hated for her deformity. She is called ugly, she is unwanted, barely tolerated by the High God Odin who banishes her to the Underworld to rule all that is Dead.
Within the story, there are morals throughout: For example, you can not force another to love you, that you should not see yourself how others see you or treat you. Hel thought herself ugly due to her treatment in Asgard and by her parents until a human offered her a mirror to see herself truthfully. She lost time thinking dark thoughts, losing herself in hate and vengeance until she realised how useless that time had been. She could have made the best of endless immortality but chose to hide away. The story shows an element of karma for those who treat you terrible, the world will offer up justice in its own way.
So while The Monstrous Child might not be overly captivating for adults, I think children should read this to relate to Hel on many levels other than the Norse Myths and Gods and Goddesses. I enjoyed it, though I had hoped for a more fleshed out ending, I understood the reason for its abruptness.
August 25, 2017
This book, this story, is not just about Hel, the Norse Goddess of the Underworld, it is her story in her words. Full of opinions, thoughts, emotions, dreams and fears, truth and self-deciet.
It is a very gentle almost slow telling of how Hel came to be where she is and it almost mirrors the snail pace of the realm she rules.
But throughout you can sense the young girl behind her giant-god persona, feel her constant self-consciousness about her corpse legs, reel from her anger at the Aesir and in particular Odin for sending her to the Underworld and smile at her pride as she discovers and explores her own godly powers to build her kingdom and rule over the dead.
For Hel is very much like us mortals in that she hopes for love, longs for company, feels crippled not just by her own disability but also the situation she has been forced and also abandoned too.
For a Goddess who is often portrayed as cruel, brutal and uncaring and with grace, deep almost disturbing honesty and a literary magnifying glass, Francesca Simon has shown us all the why and the hidden side to this most interesting and often overlooked character.
It is a very gentle almost slow telling of how Hel came to be where she is and it almost mirrors the snail pace of the realm she rules.
But throughout you can sense the young girl behind her giant-god persona, feel her constant self-consciousness about her corpse legs, reel from her anger at the Aesir and in particular Odin for sending her to the Underworld and smile at her pride as she discovers and explores her own godly powers to build her kingdom and rule over the dead.
For Hel is very much like us mortals in that she hopes for love, longs for company, feels crippled not just by her own disability but also the situation she has been forced and also abandoned too.
For a Goddess who is often portrayed as cruel, brutal and uncaring and with grace, deep almost disturbing honesty and a literary magnifying glass, Francesca Simon has shown us all the why and the hidden side to this most interesting and often overlooked character.
August 5, 2019
First of all: beautiful cover.
Beyond this, an interesting concept; seeing the course of the world from a rather neglected character in Nordic mythology, Hel. It was indeed quite interesting to see the passing of time and the interplay of other characters from Hel's perspective. I also respected how true to the canon myths the book remained (tbf I'm mainly going by Gaiman's Norse Mythology here).
However, I found the book quite repetitive, with Hel repeating herself in what did not appear to me to be an intentional way on the part of the author. I also felt the sarcasm and angst of Hel was a bit over-exaggerated, and found it to be all in all rather patronisingly written for a young adult novel. I also got a bit annoyed by how inconsistent Hel's grasp of the rules of who can enter her realm were.
On the whole, though, if this manages to be a book that draws some teens who don't tend to read all that much into reading, then I guess the patronising tone is worth it.
Beyond this, an interesting concept; seeing the course of the world from a rather neglected character in Nordic mythology, Hel. It was indeed quite interesting to see the passing of time and the interplay of other characters from Hel's perspective. I also respected how true to the canon myths the book remained (tbf I'm mainly going by Gaiman's Norse Mythology here).
However, I found the book quite repetitive, with Hel repeating herself in what did not appear to me to be an intentional way on the part of the author. I also felt the sarcasm and angst of Hel was a bit over-exaggerated, and found it to be all in all rather patronisingly written for a young adult novel. I also got a bit annoyed by how inconsistent Hel's grasp of the rules of who can enter her realm were.
On the whole, though, if this manages to be a book that draws some teens who don't tend to read all that much into reading, then I guess the patronising tone is worth it.
February 2, 2018
This confused me. I'm not really sure it knew what it wanted to be. It felt too childish to be YA at times but it was definitely NOT for children. I know the author writes for kids so maybe it's tough to turn that off when you are used to writing for them?
Hel's voice was really strong and I actually did like her but everyone else barely registered. I mean Odin made no impression on me whatsoever. This Odin we are talking about. Odin makes an impression! I did like how she called him 'one-eye' though.
Norse mythology is my favourite and this wasn't a hardship to read but it felt like the mythology was all there was to it.
By the way one of the stars is for the cover alone. I don't care. I covet covers and this one is absolutely gorgeous and the main reason I picked it up in the first place.
February 19, 2017
This book tried really hard... so hard that you noticed how hard it was trying!
And lets be honest, nobody wants to read a book where you notice how hard it is trying to be good and different and unique. Since that just makes the book frustrating and non of the things it tries so hard to be. Most of the time to me it automatically ends up being a pretty bad book that is clearly has many aspects of other better known books and is anything but unique.
It tries SO hard to be funny and sarcastic. But it only ends up sounding whiny and gets frustrating very fast!
The writing is kept overly simplistic in a way that it makes me feel like someone is talking down to me. And yes i understand it is a children's book! But children should be challenged -even a slight bit- while reading and keeping the reading level very very low is not helping!
The story itself developed quite quickly as well and in a way that it felt rather jumpy and rushed.
We go from Hel being born and not picked up for at least two chapters, before suddenly a handful of pages later, she is already sitting at a table eating with a knife? How do we get from getting a descriptive birth story to suddenly old enough to eat on her own? No idea. No explanation. No details.
Can I also say that it is a children's book about Norse mythology but we get no background, no explanations who anybody is and any kind of explanation about the worlds or .... well anything at all?
I mean.... what?????
How can it be that we have a children's book but don't get even one of those ridiculous short chapter explanining what is happening.
Even earth is straight away talked about as Misgard. Which fine, i can understand what is happening but i know at least a bit about what Norse Mythology is talking about.
If i would have been handed this book as a 7 or 8 year old (which by the way i might have enjoyed it a tat bit more at that age but honestly the lack of information would have made me very mad!) i would have not understood who anybody was or what the entire book is talking about!
For example my mom could have read this book and had no CLUE what is going on because she is not a big mythology fan so she knows basic things that everyone might aha heard of but you know... that it is. Also she hates Marvel stuff so she doesn't even have that nice background to fall back on to which i had at the age just mentioned so okay maybe i would have at least known a smidgen more then my mom, but come on!
Okay this is the third in a series -which by the way thanks for putting that on the book (NOT!!!!) so that you only see that once you open goodreads and see it is listed as the third one in a series.
Its not at all helpful if publishers would FINALLY learn to clearly mark books in series in a why that everyone can see that it is a book IN A SERIES!
What i actually want to say is that i have no idea if the other books in the series offer more explanations regarding the world this book takes place in. So maybe this third book didn't need a norse mythology world explanation chapter because the other two already did that. I have no idea. If you read the other two books? Let me know, or you know... ignore the rant i just did!
So the lack of background information really bothered me because i had books that i had no clue what was going on and no explanations offered in any way and i felt rather stupid while trying to read them, before having to look most of the things up to at least understand the basics. And that is not something you want children to have to do!
Before i fall into an even longer rant about THAT lets rant about something else!
The characters?
Yeah lots go with that!
There were characters.
No development, no background (hey are you surprised), most of the time not even a real description of how anybody looks.
Decide for yourselves if that is something bad or good!
Also i didn't really love that basically everyone BUT Hel was painted as the bad guy.
I am not saying that in Norse Mythology the gods were nice guys. Lets face it every mythology is quite horrendously horrible! Those stories are not at all easy!
Thor is basically a thief in this book, Loki is just never there other then to show up with more children and the other gods are kind of just there to hate Hel? didn't make much sense to me.
It boils down to:
Hel hates everyone and everyone hates her for no other reason then that she is different. Which is just... yeah come on! Lets not do that!
Also the illustrations.... what illustrations? There were those little chapter starter picture thingies... where the first letter of the first word of the chapter is in a different font and this book had those not completely identifiable pictures. Where those it?
I mean the cover art is BEAUTIFUL! it really is a stunning cover, but if that is the illustrated part of the book the book is not really illustrated is it? Maybe that just me being overly critical.
All in all?
Sorry. Its a nice try.
And i can see the effort!
But i need more! I need more development and depth and actual explanations.
I need to get a feel for a character and i need real characteristics other then just being snarky and trying overly hard to be funny and failing.
Its not the worst book.
And i am sure that some children might enjoy this book and have a bit of a fun time reading it, but it could have been so much better with just a little more.
And that just makes me sad and frustrated. And slightly confused. Just like the book itself left me after i finished reading it.
At least the circle is complete.
And lets be honest, nobody wants to read a book where you notice how hard it is trying to be good and different and unique. Since that just makes the book frustrating and non of the things it tries so hard to be. Most of the time to me it automatically ends up being a pretty bad book that is clearly has many aspects of other better known books and is anything but unique.
It tries SO hard to be funny and sarcastic. But it only ends up sounding whiny and gets frustrating very fast!
The writing is kept overly simplistic in a way that it makes me feel like someone is talking down to me. And yes i understand it is a children's book! But children should be challenged -even a slight bit- while reading and keeping the reading level very very low is not helping!
The story itself developed quite quickly as well and in a way that it felt rather jumpy and rushed.
We go from Hel being born and not picked up for at least two chapters, before suddenly a handful of pages later, she is already sitting at a table eating with a knife? How do we get from getting a descriptive birth story to suddenly old enough to eat on her own? No idea. No explanation. No details.
Can I also say that it is a children's book about Norse mythology but we get no background, no explanations who anybody is and any kind of explanation about the worlds or .... well anything at all?
I mean.... what?????
How can it be that we have a children's book but don't get even one of those ridiculous short chapter explanining what is happening.
Even earth is straight away talked about as Misgard. Which fine, i can understand what is happening but i know at least a bit about what Norse Mythology is talking about.
If i would have been handed this book as a 7 or 8 year old (which by the way i might have enjoyed it a tat bit more at that age but honestly the lack of information would have made me very mad!) i would have not understood who anybody was or what the entire book is talking about!
For example my mom could have read this book and had no CLUE what is going on because she is not a big mythology fan so she knows basic things that everyone might aha heard of but you know... that it is. Also she hates Marvel stuff so she doesn't even have that nice background to fall back on to which i had at the age just mentioned so okay maybe i would have at least known a smidgen more then my mom, but come on!
Okay this is the third in a series -which by the way thanks for putting that on the book (NOT!!!!) so that you only see that once you open goodreads and see it is listed as the third one in a series.
Its not at all helpful if publishers would FINALLY learn to clearly mark books in series in a why that everyone can see that it is a book IN A SERIES!
What i actually want to say is that i have no idea if the other books in the series offer more explanations regarding the world this book takes place in. So maybe this third book didn't need a norse mythology world explanation chapter because the other two already did that. I have no idea. If you read the other two books? Let me know, or you know... ignore the rant i just did!
So the lack of background information really bothered me because i had books that i had no clue what was going on and no explanations offered in any way and i felt rather stupid while trying to read them, before having to look most of the things up to at least understand the basics. And that is not something you want children to have to do!
Before i fall into an even longer rant about THAT lets rant about something else!
The characters?
Yeah lots go with that!
There were characters.
No development, no background (hey are you surprised), most of the time not even a real description of how anybody looks.
Decide for yourselves if that is something bad or good!
Also i didn't really love that basically everyone BUT Hel was painted as the bad guy.
I am not saying that in Norse Mythology the gods were nice guys. Lets face it every mythology is quite horrendously horrible! Those stories are not at all easy!
Thor is basically a thief in this book, Loki is just never there other then to show up with more children and the other gods are kind of just there to hate Hel? didn't make much sense to me.
It boils down to:
Hel hates everyone and everyone hates her for no other reason then that she is different. Which is just... yeah come on! Lets not do that!
Also the illustrations.... what illustrations? There were those little chapter starter picture thingies... where the first letter of the first word of the chapter is in a different font and this book had those not completely identifiable pictures. Where those it?
I mean the cover art is BEAUTIFUL! it really is a stunning cover, but if that is the illustrated part of the book the book is not really illustrated is it? Maybe that just me being overly critical.
All in all?
Sorry. Its a nice try.
And i can see the effort!
But i need more! I need more development and depth and actual explanations.
I need to get a feel for a character and i need real characteristics other then just being snarky and trying overly hard to be funny and failing.
Its not the worst book.
And i am sure that some children might enjoy this book and have a bit of a fun time reading it, but it could have been so much better with just a little more.
And that just makes me sad and frustrated. And slightly confused. Just like the book itself left me after i finished reading it.
At least the circle is complete.
May 6, 2025
Where do you start with this book....it started off well, grabbed my attention, and then it went a bit, meh, and the ending just yay,wow and amazing......a novel with a historical setting this tells the story of two friends one from the middle class and another from the upper class who make friends at a boarding school and ending up spending the holidays together with tragic results.....the tragic event goes through their lives and the twist in this book have you feeling so many emotions well especially rage for me. .....beautifully written I love the way everything comes together at the end. Can't really say too much without giving the book away but this is definitely worth a read.
July 9, 2017
Some seem to believe this is a sequel or part of a series, but whilst the author has written two other retellings of Norse Myth, it doesn't seem necessary to read them in any sort of order - that's really the beauty of the myths, and this was a great retelling of those myths from a neglected perspective - Hel, Queen of the Dead.
I loved this reimagining of Hel as a petulant and frightened teen, with a wicked sense of humour and a need to be loved. Hel is often portrayed as emotionless and distant in other telling, so here she is much more interesting.
I was at odds with the pacing, although it is written for younger audiences so wasn't too much of an issue. Dark humour, gory and at times quite sad, great addition to my myth collection.
I loved this reimagining of Hel as a petulant and frightened teen, with a wicked sense of humour and a need to be loved. Hel is often portrayed as emotionless and distant in other telling, so here she is much more interesting.
I was at odds with the pacing, although it is written for younger audiences so wasn't too much of an issue. Dark humour, gory and at times quite sad, great addition to my myth collection.
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